As a child in Palermo, Sicily, Anthony de Francisci assisted his father, Benedetto de Francisci, with marble cutting. After Anthony arrived in the United States in 1903, he studied at the Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design in New York City. De Francisci also worked with well-known sculptors Adolph Weinman and Herman MacNeil. The "peace" silver dollar, minted in 1921, and the "ruptured duck" World War II discharge emblem are among his most famous pieces.